Mishawaka, Indiana
|population_note = |population_total = 48252 |population_density_sq_mi = 2838.4 |population_density_km2 = 1095.9 |timezone = EST |utc_offset = -5 |timezone_DST = EDT |utc_offset_DST = -4 |unit_pref = Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = 44.94 |area_land_km2 = 44.03 |area_water_km2 = 0.91 |area_total_sq_mi = 17.35 |area_land_sq_mi = 17.00 |area_water_sq_mi = 0.35 |area_note = |elevation_m = 219 |elevation_ft = 719 |latd = 41 |latm = 40 |lats = 3 |latNS = N |longd = 86 |longm = 10 |longs = 17 |longEW = W |website = http://www.mishawaka.in.gov |postal_code_type = ZIP codes |postal_code = 46544-46546 |area_code = 574 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 18-49932 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 0452691 |footnotes = | }} Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River, a part of the South Bend Metropolitan statistical area in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census. Its nickname is "the Princess City." Mishawaka is a principal city of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Mishawaka’s recorded history began with the discovery of bog iron deposits at the beginning of the 1830s. Settlers arriving to mine the deposits founded the town of St. Joseph Iron Works in 1831. Within a few years, the town had a blast furnace, a general store, a tavern, and about 200 residents. Business prospered, and in 1833 St. Joseph Iron Works, Indiana City, and two other adjacent small towns were incorporated to form the city of Mishawaka. In September 1872, a fire destroyed three quarters of Mishawaka’s business district. However, the citizens rebuilt and attracted new industry. The Dodge Manufacturing Company, Perkins Windmills and the Mishawaka Woolen and Rubber Company (later Ball Band, then Uniroyal) all helped the town to prosper. Mishawaka grew through both industry and agriculture. In the late 19th century, Mishawaka became known as the "Peppermint Capital of the World", since the area's rich black loam produced great quantities of mint. From 1906 to 1915, Mishawaka was the manufacturing home of the luxurious American Simplex motor car. Four American Simplex autos entered the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. One Simplex crashed, killing the mechanic riding with the driver, while the other Mishawaka cars finished sixth, eighth and twentieth. Ball Band made rubber garments and was hit by a major strike in 1931, but flourished in the 1940s, finally closing in 1997 in the face of cheaper imports. Manufacturing in Mishawaka peaked in the 1940s and began a slow decline as the economic base shifted to retail services and small industry. In 1979, University Park Mall opened north of Mishawaka. In 1990, AM General began producing the Hummer in its Mishawaka plant. The MV-1 is a purpose-built taxicab and replaces the planned Standard Taxi, and like that car it was developed in collaboration with AM General. The car is built in Mishawaka, Indiana, at an AM General plant. Awards * A BusinessWeek Magazine Best Place to Raise Your Kids 2010: IndianaBest Places to Raise Your Kids: 2010: Best Place to Raise Your Kids: Indiana - BusinessWeek Neighborhoods, leisure and sports heritage Old fashioned neighborhoods still exist all over the city, and many of the newer residential subdivisions that have been developed within the city in recent years have attempted to replicate the community spirit and "hometown" neighborhood feel. Because neighborhoods are such a vital resource to the success of Mishawaka, the city continually upgrades and develops new neighborhood park and recreation facilities. Presently, a total of 29 parks allow Mishawaka residents to golf, play ball, fish and exercise. In 1968, the city opened an outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool and an adjacent ice skating rink at Merrifield Park.outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool On the south side, Mishawaka's George Wilson Park is home to the city's most popular winter toboggan spot,George Wilson Park as well as an 18-hole frisbee golf course. While some of the city's Italian immigrants still play games like bocce, and a few Belgian immigrants continue to raise and race homing pigeons, the city also hosted the nation's oldest and largest wiffleball tournament, the World WiffleBall Championship,World WifflBall Championship held at Rose Park’s 22-field wiffleball complex until 2012. The city's three high schools (Mishawaka High School, Penn High School, and Marian High School) have won a combined 11 state championships in football since 1920. Sister cities * Soest, Germany * Shiojiri, Nagano, Japan Points of interest ]] * Beutter Park - The centerpiece of Mishawaka's 21st century downtown revitalization, the new park includes a river race with elliptical-shaped overlook weirs and fiber-optic underwater lighting, two connecting bridges across the St. Joseph River race to the park, the Mishawaka Riverwalk, the "Shards" sculpture, and an 800 foot perennial garden.Beutter Park * Battell Park's historic WPA-built band shelter and terraced rock garden.Battell Park's Band Shelter * Mishawaka Carnegie Library on N. Hill St, now a private residence * Shiojiri Garden, located in Merrifield Park, is a Japanese strolling garden that symbolizes the Sister-City relationship between Mishawaka, Indiana and Shiojiri City, Japan.Shiojiri Garden * The Beiger Mansion, built in 1903 and beautifully restored in 1973, was gutted by arson in 1974. The building has since been re-renovated (although not to its former state) and is home to a popular area bed and breakfast and events facility.The Beiger Mansion * Kamm & Schellinger Brewing Company and the 100 Center ComplexKamm & Schellinger Brewing Company and the 100 Center Complex * AM General's manufacturing plant, where the Hummer line of vehicles were built. * Bethel College is affiliated with the Missionary Church, and serves approximately 1,700 students. *The Otis R. Bowen Museum, located on the campus of Bethel College, houses memorabilia and artifacts related to Dr. Otis Bowen's years as Governor of Indiana and Secretary of Health and Human Services. It also houses a copy of the Otis Bowen (bust). * Bonnie Doon restaurant on Lincoln Way West and at Fourth Street at Main is the last of the area's original 1940s vintage drive up soda shops.(Now Closed) * West End Bakery (Mishawaka, Indiana) on West 7th Street is a Mishawaka Belgian Town institution, specializing in early morning pastries and cakes.West End Bakery Notable people * John Brademas, American politician and educator (Congress' majority whip from 1977 to 1981) * Conte Candoli, American jazz musicianConte Candoli (played trumpet in Doc Severinsen's The Tonight Show Band) * Pete Candoli, American jazz musicianPete Candoli (played trumpet in Woody Herman's Big Band) * Adam Driver, American Actor, best known for his character Adam Sackler on the HBO series ''Girls'' * Norman Eddy, American military officer and Indiana Secretary of State * Tom Ehlers, American professional football player (Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills) * Buddy Emmons, American Guitarist "The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist"Buddy Emmons#cite note-The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame-0 * Freddie Fitzsimmons, American professional baseball pitcher and manager (Giants, Dodgers and Phillies) * Todd A. Fonseca, American author of juvenile fiction * Daniel L. Gard, American admiral * Lisa Germano, American folk and alternative rock musician and composer * Ben Goldwasser, American keyboardist and member of the band MGMT. * George Gulyanics, American professional football playerGeorge Gulyanicsprofessional football player (Chicago Bears) * Charles Kuhl, World War II soldier, famous for being slapped by General Patton, leading to Patton losing his command * Achille "Chick" Maggioli, American professional football playerAchille "Chick" Maggioli (Bills, Lions and Colts) * Irene Vernon, American film actress (Louise Tate in TV's Bewitched) * Sharon Versyp, Indiana's 1984 Miss Basketball (Mishawaka High School) and current Purdue women's basketball coach * Joy Lynn White, American country western musician and composerJoy Lynn White Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Demographics As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $33,986, and the median income for a family was $41,947. Males had a median income of $33,878 versus $23,672 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,434. About 7.3% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 48,252 people, 21,343 households, and 11,730 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 24,088 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 6.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population. There were 21,343 households of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.0% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 34.7 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female. Transportation Mishawaka is served by TRANSPO municipal bus system, which also serves South Bend and several smaller suburbs in South Bend-Mishawaka metropolitan region. The Interurban Trolley's Bittersweet/Mishawaka route stops at Martin's Supermarket, connecting riders to the city of Elkhart and the town of Osceola. The closest Amtrak station and the closest commercial airport are both located in western South Bend. Major highways * Indiana Toll Road, which is Interstate 80 and Interstate 90. * U.S. Route 20 * Indiana State Road 23 * Indiana State Road 331 * Indiana State Road 933 Education Bethel College is an accredited evangelical Christian liberal arts school with 1,700 students. Public schools in Mishawaka are operated by the School City of Mishawaka. Mishawaka Public Schools: * Twin Branch Elementary School * Hums Elementary * Beiger Elementary * Emmons Elementary * Lasalle Elementary * Liberty Elementary * Battell Elementary * John Young Middle School * Mishawaka High SchoolSchool City of Mishawaka The Penn-Harris-Madison School CorporationPenn-Harris-Madison School Corporation operates schools in parts of the city, including Penn High School. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend operates four private Catholic schools in Mishawaka, including Mishawaka Marian High School. Media One major daily newspaper serves the Michiana Metro area, the South Bend Tribune. It is distributed throughout the Michiana region and publishes five editions including a Metro edition, Mishawaka edition, Michigan edition, Penn-Harris-Madison East edition and a Marshall edition. Mishawaka has a wide variety of local radio broadcast available in the area. Stations' programming content contains a wide variety including public radio, classical music, religious, country, and urban contemporary among others. For more information, see List of Radio Stations in Mishawaka, Indiana. As of 2013, the South Bend-Mishawaka-Elkhart designated market area is the 95th largest in the United States, with 319,860 (0.3% of the US population) homes.The Nielsen Company. "Nielsen Reports 1.1% increase in U.S. Television Households for the 2006-2007 Season." Nielsen Media Research. Retrieved on January 26, 2008. Most of the major television networks have affiliates in the Michiana area. Mishawaka located stations include WSBT-TV (CBS), WBND-LD (ABC), WCWW-LD (CW) and WMYS-LD (My Network TV). Stations located in nearby South Bend, IN include WNDU-TV (NBC), WNIT-TV (PBS) and WHME-TV (LeSEA). WSJV (Fox) also broadcasts in the Michiana area from Elkhart, IN. Mishawaka Common Council *First District: Dale Emmons *Second District: Mike Bellovich *Third District: John Reisdorf *Fourth District: Kate Voelker *Fifth District: Mike Compton *Sixth District: Ron Banicki *At-Large: Dan Bilancio *At-Large: Matt Mammolenti *At-Large: John Roggeman *City Clerk: Debbie Ladyga-Block Legend of Princess Mishawaka One legend holds that the city is named after Mishawaka, daughter of Shawnee Chief Elkhart. According to the story, the Shawnee were permitted to settle on Potawatomi lands in the late 18th century, and Potawatomi Chief Grey Wolf soon fell in love with Mishawaka. She rejected his advances and pledged her love to a white trapper, known only as Deadshot. A war between the two tribes ensued, and Grey Wolf captured Mishawaka and threatened to kill her unless she married him. Deadshot followed him, however, and the two men fought to the death. Grey Wolf died, but not before stabbing Mishawaka in the breast. She recovered, but died in 1818 at age 32. She was supposedly buried near Lincoln Park, where a bronze marker recounts the legend. References Further reading * Babcock, Glenn D. History of United States Rubber Company: A Case Study in Corporate Management (1966). * Bridges, Janice. Indiana's princess city: The history of Mishawaka, 1832-1932 (1976) * DeKever, Peter J. With Our Past: Essays on the history of Mishawaka (2003) * Eisen, D., ed. A Mishawaka Mosaic (Mishawaka: Friends of the Mishawaka Library, 1983), on diverse ethnic groups * Hume, Susan E. "Belgian Settlement and Society in the Indiana Rust Belt," Geographical Review (2003) 93#1 pp. 30–50 in JSTOR on the Flemish settlement in southwest Mishawaka that begin in 1920s External links *City of Mishawaka, Indiana website *Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library *School City of Mishawaka *St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce *Visit South Bend Mishawaka *Mishawaka's Official Business Directory Category:Cities in Indiana Category:Settlements established in 1833 Category:Cities in St. Joseph County, Indiana Category:South Bend – Mishawaka metropolitan area Category:1833 establishments in the United States Category:Mishawaka, Indiana